1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to tire chocks wedged between the outer surface of a tire and the roadway to prevent the motor vehicle from rolling over the roadway, and, more particularly, to a pair of interconnected tire chocks that is placed in front and behind the tire.
2. Description of the Related Art
Tire chocks are widely used in the trucking industry to prevent a truck from rolling when parked and left unattended. In instances where the truck can roll in either direction, a pair of tire chocks is used around a tire with one chock placed in front of and one chock behind the tire. When a pair of tire chocks is desired, the chocks are usually connected together with a short rope that enables the chocks to be easily pulled away from the tire and transported. The rope also acts as a hanging means for storing the pair of chocks on a hook in the storage area.
At airport terminals, an interconnected pair of tire chocks is commonly used to prevent unattended, lightweight luggage carrying vehicles, called tugs, from rolling over the runway or aircraft parking areas. Although some tugs have hand brakes, it is desirable to place a pair of tire chocks around the tug""s tires to prevent the tug from rolling in either direction while loading and unloading luggage, or when the tug is located downwind from an aircraft""s engine. Rope is used to connect the two chocks because it is easy to handle and has poor electrical conduction properties.
When rope is used to connect two tire chocks together, the ends of the rope are threaded through a longitudinally aligned bore formed in each chock. Large knots are tied into the ends of the rope to prevent the ends of the rope from disengaging from the chocks. During use, the chocks may become tightly wedged between the tire and the ground, requiring the user to exert a large force on the rope to pull the tire chocks away from the tire. Eventually, one of the knots is pulled through the bore of a chock, disengaging it. When a chock becomes disengaged, it may be left on the runway or parking area where it may be run over by another tug causing luggage to fall off the tug, or a serious accident. Even when a disengaged chock is retrieved, both chocks in the pair are normally discarded because of the difficulty involved in untying the knot and threading the frayed end of the rope back through the bore of the disengaged chock.
In some instances, tire chock pairs are used to mark or indicate the parking or loading area where a truck or tug should be parked for loading or unloading cargo. Usually, the tire chocks are horizontally aligned on one side of the parking lane. Unfortunately, when horizontally aligned, they are not visible at great distances or at night. They cannot be vertically aligned on one end because of the knots protruding from the ends of the chocks.
What is needed is a pair of tire chocks that is more securely connected together for use around airports. What is also needed is a pair of tire chocks with flat ends that enable the chocks to be vertically aligned on a horizontal surface. What is also needed is a pair of tire chocks that uses sufficiently rigid cable that extends upward from the ends of the chocks when the chocks are vertically aligned to improve the visibility of the chocks.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pair of tire chocks connected with a rope or cable more securely than tire chocks found in the prior art.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a pair of tire chocks in which the means to connect the pair of tire chocks is lightweight, easy to handle, and safe for uses around aircraft.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a pair of tire chocks that can be vertically aligned on one end with a sufficiently rigid interconnecting cable that extends upward from the inner ends of the tire chocks to make the chocks more visible.
These and other objects of the invention that will become apparent are met by an improved tire chock pair that utilizes two triangular-shaped tire chocks with flat outer ends that are connected together by a semi-rigid cable. Each tire chock includes a longitudinally aligned bore with one end of the cable securely connected therein. In the preferred embodiment, the cable comprises a wire rope with its exposed surfaces covered with protective rubber hose for greater comfort when handled and lower electrical conductivity. Securely attached to the opposite ends of the wire rope is a stop plug that, during manufacturing, is securely pressed onto the bores on the tire chocks to prevent disengagement. In the preferred embodiment, each bore includes a wider, concentrically aligned wider diameter bore designed to receive the end of the hose.
The cable has sufficient length so that the two tire chocks can be placed in a parallel alignment in front of and behind a tire. The wire rope and hose also have sufficient rigidity so that the cable extends upward from the inner ends of the two tire chocks when the tire chocks are vertically aligned on-their outer end surfaces on a horizontal surface to make the tire chocks more visible. The outer surfaces of the chocks and hose may be covered with a highly reflective paint or tape to make the tire chock system more visible at night.